An ordinance in Sonoma County to help bring down the risk of wildfires not being followed by several properties. The Press Democrat reports some county supervisors are angered by it, saying residents have to step up and protect their own properties. Apparently only half of the properties inspected so far were found to be complying with new rules calling on homeowners to have firebreaks around their homes. The Sonoma County Fire Marshal informing the board of supervisors at their latest meeting, and some supervisors said they were concerned, one saying you can’t be a victim, if you don’t clear your property. It’s been a month since the new defensible space rule started to help lower the fire risk in the county and allow firefighters to get thru neighborhoods more efficiently.
Officials in Windsor give the thumbs up after five years for a multimillion dollar, eco-friendly apartment complex. The Press Democrat reports 360 apartments will be put up over two years and there will be solar panels powering all electric, including heat pumps for water and cooling and appliances across 20 acres. There will also be several electric vehicle charging stations and no natural gas anywhere in the complex. The $100 million housing project is being touted as zero-net energy. The complex will also be walking distance from the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station.
The name of a man from Fort Bragg killed by a car over the July 4th holiday weekend has been released. The Mendocino County Coroner’s Office says it was 46 year old Aaron Kules who was hit by a pickup truck early Sunday morning as he crossed Highway 1 morning near Ocean Drive, south of Fort Bragg. The CHP reports the driver was a 49-year-old man, also from Fort Bragg, who was not hurt. They’re still investigating the cause of the crash.
The master tenant of the Ghostship in Oakland, the site of that deadly fire in 2016 says the city inspected the building before the fire and never said it could be a fire hazard. The Press Democrat reporting on Derick Almena’s 2nd day of testimony yesterday. He, along with Max Harris, face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors claim Almena allowed the warehouse to be filled with furniture, art and other highly flammable materials making it extremely difficult for party attendees to escape the fire. His lawyer asked Almena several times about fire, police and city officials who came into the building, yet never said it was dangerous.
Possible closure for a family holding vigil at Lake Mendocino waiting for the recovery of the body of a family member. Sonoma Water officials say they’ll reduce the water that’s released from Lake Mendocino to the Russian River to aid in the search for Vincent Soto who disappeared in the Lake last month after an accident with his dad. His father, Carlos’ body was recovered immediately, and the coroner says he either died of a heart attack or stroke. The release so the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office can use an underwater robot to search for Vincent. They’ll mostly look near the Coyote Valley Dam where he was last seen with his dad. The two went fishing north of Ukiah June 11th.
Town Hall meetings set for traffic work on Highway 20 in a handful of communities along the Northshore of Lake County. Lake Co News reports there will be an interactive map set up for residents to look at and an opportunity to voice any concerns. The town halls with the Lake Area Planning Council and a consultant from Sacramento regarding a Highway 20 project and another, the 11th Street corridor in Lakeport. The first meetings happened in May. The news site reports conditions are being analyzed in the areas noted and possible projects will be bike, pedestrian and transit-friendly options while at the same time improve the aesthetics and livability of the unincorporated towns.
There’s now going to be a faster bidding process in Lake County for backup generators at county facilities ahead of PG&E launching their public safety power shutoffs. County staff trying to get a waiver of the bidding process to buy as much as $470,000 in generators for six county departments. The board of supervisors instead has a two week bidding process except for one generator already approved for the sheriff’s office’s Hunter repeater site due to previous wildfire damage. The County Administrative Officer says there was a discussion of department heads where it became clear it was worth the expense to buy the generators or they’d lose business and working hours.
The Gov. Gavin Newsom says the White House said yes to the request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration for Direct Federal Assistance after the twin earthquakes near Ridgecrest. Newsom put out a public statement saying the state’s “grateful for President Trump’s approval” of the request and for the continued efforts of local, state and federal emergency responders to protect communities across the region. As in previous emergencies, such as fires and floods, the emergency declaration helps to pay for emergency services and possible destruction. The Gov. had declared a state of emergency in Kern and San Bernardino counties.
Another state Senate committee to take a vote on a rent cap bill some say is controversial. The proposed law to cover the millions of homes in the state currently without rent control. The Assembly Bill would ban rent increases in some areas of more than 10 percent a year and would not allow landlords to evict tenants for no reason. Landlord interest groups are against the bill which could change things for up to 4.6 million homes throughout the state. For those already living with rent control, it would protect them in other ways. Rental units 10 years old or older would be covered by the bill if it passes. The Senate Judiciary voted to move the bill forward. It next goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
A bill passed by lawmakers would make it harder for police to use deadly force in Calif. It means that cops could only fire a weapon “when necessary in defense of human life.” The Gov. has signaled he’ll sign the Assembly Bill which comes after an unarmed black man, Stephon Clark, was killed in his grandparents backyard. Supporters hailed the bill’s passage in the Senate, but were worried about a possible weakening in the bill’s language as it moves thru the legislature. Those against the bill say officers face danger on the job daily and were worried about officers hesitating and being shot first.
The State Assembly has passed a bill authored by Sen. Mike McGuire requiring anyone who runs for president and wants to appear on the Calif. ballot to release their tax returns. The Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act requires the release of tax returns for anyone running for governor as well. Five years of tax returns have to be sent to the Secretary of State within 98 days of an election, then redacted versions of the returns would be posted for the public on the secretary of state’s website within five days of getting them. McGuire and his co-author Sen. Scott Wiener calling out Pres. Trump specifically for not releasing his tax returns after 40-years of other presidential candidates doing so.
There will be a Climate Action Advisory Committee after the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors gave it the green light. The committee will make recommendations to the board on policy ideas and put together a Sustainability and Climate Action Program, outlining the climate goals for the county. The discussions about the possible committee formation have been ongoing, but the public had something to say about it, so there were some changes in the language and direction of the committee first. The one outlier, Supervisor Carre Brown voted against the resolution, because she said there weren’t enough details and the structure and protocol of the committee might create problems in the future.
